The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-06-22
TALK OF WELLINGTON.
The 0rsat Dukes Opinions Of the Warrior
Whom He Defeated Some Interesting
Extrnots from the Newly Published "L.ss
and Diartes."

ana Diarfes.".
Among the many interesting features
Of the Correspondence Diaries of John
Wilson Croker" just published in New
York, are Croker's notes of converse
tons with the Duke Of Wellington,
taken down rs they occurred. The fol-
lowing extracts relate mainly to Napo-
leon and Waterloo. Speaking of Bona
parte the Duke said: II never was a
believer in him, and I always thought
that in the long run we should
overturn him. He never seemed
himself at his ease,. and even in the
boldest things he did there was always
O mixture of apprehension and mean
ness used to call him Jonathan Wild
the Great, and at each new coup he
made I used to cry ont, We'll done,
Jonathan, to the great scandal OF some
of my hearers. But the truth was, he
had no more care about what was right
or wrong, just or unjust, honorable OF
dishonorable, than Jonathan, though
his great abilities and the great stakes
he played for threw the knavery int1
the shade.
"Posteritv rill hardly beliove tho
success and extent of that system OF
darkness which Bonaparte spread over
France, but it is so complete that even
1 who has been for so many years in
contact with his armies, and was now
for months on his frontier, was glad to
CLEAN from any precarious and humble
sources some knowledge OF the real
state of the interior"
"The best of all the publications
(about Bonaparte) is that of Baron Fain.
| All the dictations to Montholou. Gour-
gaud and Las Casas are of little real
authority. They are what Bonapate
on after consideration thought it ex-
pedient to represent things to have
been, and not what they were. Any ac-
cute reader will find them to be what
made-up stories always must be, full Of
contradictions, but We who know the
affairs of our time know that they are
| full OF falsehoods.
NAPOLEON s WATCH.
"Bonaparte's mind was, in its details,
low and ungentlemanlike. suppose
the narrowness of his carly prospects
and habits stuck to him; what we un-
derstand by gentlemanlike feelings he
knew nothing at all about; I'll give you
q curious instance.
II have beautiful little watch made
by Breguet at Paris, with map.of Spain
most admirably enameled on the case.
Sir Edward Paget bought it at Paris
and gave it to me. What do you think
the history of this watch was-at least
the history that Braguet told Paget
and Paget told me? Bonaparte had
ordered il as present to his brother,
the king of Spain, but when he heard
OF the battle Of Vittoria-he was then
at Dresden, in the midst of all the
preparations and negotiations of the ar
mistice, and one would think, sufficient
| ly busy with other matters-when he
heard of the battle of Vittoria, l say he
remembered the watch he had ordered
| for one whom he saw would never be
king of Spain and with whom he was
angry for the loss Of the battle, and he
wrote from Dresden to countermand
the watch, and il il should be ready to
forbid its being sent. The best apology
one can make for this strange ittleness
is, that he was offended with Joseph;
but even in that case gentleman would
not have taken the moment when the
poor devil had lost his chateaux en-
Espaene ~ take away his watch also.
"All those codicils to his will, in which
he bequeathed millions to the right and
left and among others left legacy to
the fellow who was accused OF attempt
ing to assasainate me, is another proof
of littleness of mind; the property he
really had he had already made his dis
position of. For the payment Of all
those other high-sounding legacies there
was not the shadow ola fund. He might
as well have drawn bills for ten millions
on that pump at Aldgate. We had on
our way driven past it. While he was
writing all these magnificent donations
he knew that they we're all in the air,
all falsehooi. For my part, can see
no magnanimity in lie, and I confess
that think one who could play such
tricks but a shabby fellow"
1t was on this occasion that he gave
me an instance of the importance OF a
very ordinary degree OF thoughtful
common sense. He described his very
critical position on the march before
the battle Of Assaye, when his small
force was threatened by an overwhslm-
ing deluge Of native cavalry, and his